Condenser system



Aug, 4%, 1925.

F. H. C. COPPUS CONDENSER SYSTEM Filed July 7, 1921 2 Sheeteet Aug. 4, 1925.

F.H.C.COPPUS CONDENSER SYSTEM Filed July 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANS H. C. COPPUS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO COIPIIPU'S EN- I GINEERING CORPORATION, OI WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed July 7, 1921.

To (1 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANS H. C. (Jones, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have 1nvented a new and useful Improvement in a Condenser System, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to a condenser system, as applied especially to locomotives or other steam driven vehicles. The invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter particularly described and claimed, whereby provision is made for condensing the exhaust steam of a locomotive of the type, for 1nstance, set forth in my copending companion application Serial No. 478,572, filed June 18, 1921; the water reclaimed as a result of such condensation being collected in a suitable tank preferably provided n the tender of the locomotive, for use again in the locomotive boiler, thus maintalmng a supply of purified ater, eliminating the formation of scale in the boiler, and doing away with the present frequent replenishment of the water supply of the locomotive.

The above and other advantages are obtained by the construction hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of so much of a locomotive as is necessary to disclose the mode or manner of initially cooling the exhaust steam.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a locomotive tender wherein provision is made for the further condensation of said steam and the collection of the water of condensation.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of so much of a locomotive tender as is necessary to disclose the incorporation therewith of a vacuum condensing apparatus, in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

The present invention, as here shown, is applicable to the type of locomotive where- .in the draft, either forced or induced, or

CONDENSER SYSTEM.

Serial No. 483,005.

both, is procured by means of a suitable mechanical blowing apparatus,-thu s doing away with the use of exhaust steam for drafting purposes, and allowing said exhaust steam to be condensed and returned as water to the supply tank for the locomotive boiler. Fig. 1 illustrates such a blowing device 1 disposed in front of the smoke stack 2 of a locomotive; the blower outlet 3 passes around said smoke stack and communicates through the upper part. of a fitting 4 with one or more ducts 5, the latter having downward extensions 6 by which forced draft is supplied to the ash pit 7 of the locomotive.

The ducts 5 through which passes the cold air upon its way to the ash pit, contain a series of pipes 8, 8, the latter leading from the lower part of fitting 4 and being connected to a header 9. The header 9 receives exhaust steam from a pipe 10, it being understood that such exhaust steam after being discharged from the engine cylinders, instead of being used for drafting purposes, is conveyed in any suitable manner to the pipe 10, preferably after passing through a suitable oil separator 11.

It will thus be seen that the interchange of heat between the cold air in ducts 5 and the exhaust steam in pipes 8 procures the desired heating of said air and the desired extraction of heat from said steam; the latter is received in a header 12, to which the ends of the pipe 8 are connected, and said steam thence passes through a flexible pipe. or pipes 13 to another header or headers 14, shown in Fig. 2 as disposed at the front end of the locomotive tender. Near the rear end of the tender is another header 15 arranged vertically, which is connected with the header 14 through longitudina-lly extending pipes 16 and cross headers 17, 17. The vertical header 15 delivers the exhaust steam to a series of pipes 18 in a water tank or compartment 19, said pipes 18 being below the water level a in said tank or compartment. The pipes 18 discharge into a header 18, in which is disposed an open-ended vertical pipe 20, which projects above said water level. The tank or compartment 19 is open to the atmosphere through a pipe 21.

takes place by the passage of said steam through the pipes 16, which are exposed on all sides to the atmosphere. The steam and water of condensation pass thence through header 15 into the submerged pipes -18, where further condensation takes place so that the discharge from pipe 20 is mostly water; any remaining steam passes out of the tank 19 through thepipe 21. The efficiency of the condensation by the means above described is of course dependent upon the amount of atmospheric cooling obtainable; in cold weather practically all of the steam is condensed, and in any event, a large portion is reclaimed and at the same time the engines of the locomotive work without appreciable back pressure. The water in the tank 19 is maintained at practically the boiling point, so that it can be pumped back into the boiler without any necessity for raising its temperature.

Fig.3 discloses a tender wherein the initial condensation of the exhaust steam is accomplished, as previously described, in the exposed pipes 16, 16, the latter terminating in the cross header 17 which is connected to a main header 22. The header 22 communicates with the interior of a jet condenser designated as a whole by the numeral 23, this communication being established by means of a T 24, whose other outlet leads to the casing of a piston actuated balanced valve 25, which is provided for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The operation of the condenser 23 is as follows :-Condensing water is sucked in from a suitable supply compartment 26 by way of pipe 27 which has therein a butterfly valve 28, said pipe 27 entering the top 29 of a condenser casing. A ball float 30, pivoted at 31, controls the operation of the butterfly valve 28 through arms 32 and 33 and link 34. When the water rises in the interior of the condenser chamber above a predetermined level, the butterfl valve 28 will gradually close under the actlon of float 30, thereby lessening the amount of water which is sucked into the top of the condenser. Said water, and the water resulting from condensation of steam in theinterior of the apparatus, enter a hot well 35 in the usual way, being thence forced by a centrifugal pump 36 through pipe 37 and elbow 38 to a vertical header 39.

This vertical header 39 forms part of a cooling tower at the rear of the tender. Leading from the header 39 are a plurality of horizontal pipes 40, each having a number of forwardly opening jets 41 for the discharge of the hot water onto inclined plates 42. Other plates 43 inclined in the opposite direction, receive water from the plates 42, said water discharging over the rear edges of plates 43 into a basin 44 which is connectedto the water compartment of the tender. 7 The plates 42 and 43 are preferably perforated, so that the water will trickle through them with maximum exposure to the air. The cooling tower above described is contained in a suitable inclosure, providing a back 45, a top 46 and sides 47-, said inclosure being entirely open at the front.

This construction of the cooling tower is such as to subject the water, as it flows across the plates 42 and 43 and trickles through the perforations thereof, to the full cooling effect of the air as it is created and augmented by the movement of the locomotive. In other words, the water is swept backward on said plates by the impingement therewith of the air current resulting from the locomotives velocit with the result that a very rapid and e cient cooling takes place,thus eliminating the necessity for a large size tower such as would otherwise be requiredif the mechanism were stationary.

In order to obtain this result, it is necessary to force the water through the nozzles or jets 41 with considerable velocit otherwise, theair pressure created by t e movement of the tower would prevent the flow of water over the plates 42. It follows therefore that it is preferable to operate the pump 36 from the: running gear of the tender, thus making the amount and pressure of the Water handled by said pump directly proportional to the s eed of the locomotive. In consequence oft is arrangement, the water tower ceases to function when the locomotive is standing still; if this were not the case, the velocity imparted to the water by the jets or nozzles 41 would shoot it beyond the plates through the open front of the tower, and thus prevent its collection in the basin 44.

The apparatus is here shown as equipped with a thermostatic valve 48, which is sub ject to the temperature revailing in the. condenser chamber 23. hould the water in said chamber be at too high a temperature to condense the entering steam, then the valve 48 will open a live steam connection 49 leading to a cylinder 50 on the outside of the casing of balanced valve 25. Under these conditions, the live steam operates a piston, not shown, in said cylinder 50 whereby to open valve 25 and permit the escape of excess steam, through a pipe 51, to the atmosphere. The mechanism is equipped with any suitable means for priming the pump 36 and for establishing a vacuum in the condenser chamber; such means are here shown as a connection 52 between the ipe 27 and the hot well 35, said connection aving a cook or valve 53 therein. In addition, the fitting 4 is equipped with a suitable relief valve 4, which opens automatically when the pressure of the exhaust steam exceeds a predetermined amount, and permits the discharge of said steam to the atmosphere.

This valve 4 acts in cooperation with a stop check valve-13' in the pipe 13, located in convenient reach of the engineer, so that it can be closed when the locomotive comes to a stop or when for any reason it is not de sired to operate the condensing apparatus. In this way it is possible to delay the passa e of steam to the condenser 23 until a su table partial vacuum has been created therein by pump 36.

ll claim,

1. The herein described method of condensing the exhaust steam of a locomotive which consists in successively passing said steam through a multiple pipe condenser subjected to the cooling action of the current of air created by the locomotives -motion, and then subjecting said steam to the direct condensing action of water in an enclosed chamber and also exposing to said current of air the water used for the condensation of said steam.

2. The herein described method of condensing the exhaust steam of a locomotive, which consists in utilizing the movement of the locomotive to promote the extraction of heat from the steam by air on its way to the locomotive ash-pit, and to promote the cooling of the waterused for the condensation of said steam.

3. The combination with a steam locomotive, of a condensing system disposed in the tender thereof, comprisin means responsive to the movement of said tender for circulating condenslng water, and means responsive to the temperature of the condensing water for procuring the discharge of exhaust steam to the atmosphere.

4. In a locomotive condensing plant, a cooling tower comprising a series of sursteam.

faces, means for causing steam heated water to be spread out on said surfaces, drafting means due to the motion of said locomotive to cause air to contact with said water, and means comprising a box-like structure with one side only open for preventing excessive loss of said water because of said drafting means. I

5. In a locomotive condensing plant, a cooling tower comprising a series of surfaces, means for causing steam heated water to be spread out on said surfaces, drafting means due to the motion of said locomotive to cause air to contact with said water, means comprising a box-like structure with one side only open for preventing excessive loss of said water because of said drafting means, and means controlled by the speed of the locomotive to control the quantity of water to be spread on the said surfaces.

6. The herein described method of condensing the exhaust steam of a locomotive, which consists in utilizing the movement of the locomotive aided by a blower to promote the extraction of heat from the steam by air on its way to the locomotive ash-pit, and utilizing the movement of the locomotive to promote the cooling-of the water used for the condensation of said steam.

7. The herein described method of condensing the exhaust steam of a locomotive, which consists in utilizing a blower induced draft to promote the extraction of heat fromthe steam by air on its way to the locomotive ash-pit, and utilizing the movement of the locomotlve to promote the cooling of the water used for the condensation of said Dated this first day of July, 1921.

FRANS H. C. OOPPUS. 

